Apple receives approval to proceed in lawsuit against accessory makers

A federal judge has ruled that Apple's lawsuit against a collection of iPod, iPhone and iPad accessory makers, who are accused of infringing on nine patents and producing "inferior quality" accessories, can proceed.

Apple sued accessory maker EForCity and several other related companies in July 2010, with the complaint that many of the products from the companies "are of inferior quality and reliability, raising significant concerns over compatibility with and damage to Apples products."

In the suit, Apple alleged that the companies had violated Apple's patents and exposed the iPod maker to liability from an implied endorsement.

As reported by Bloomberg on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel has ruled that the lawsuit can proceed.

EForCity had argued that the court should remove allegations that were redundant, immaterial, impertinent or scandalous. In its complaint, Apple had included comments from a dissatisfied user of one of the allegedly infringing products.

Though the court agreed with EForCity's argument and removed the remarks from the record, the infringement case is still being allowed to continue.

Apple has often relied on legal means to protect its brand and ensure that accessories for its products meet a certain standard. The company sued the maker of the HyperMac line of accessories last year over alleged patent violations.

HyperMac parent company Sanho subsequently announced that it would cease selling MacBook charging cables, which were advertised as using recycled MagSafe connectors for "maximum compatibility." The company also changed the brand name from 'HyperMac' to 'HyperJuice' as a result of ongoing licensing negotiations with Apple.